Quote:
Originally Posted by
birdhappy85 
Does it just keep hurting while the teeth are still growing, even though they've already popped through?! She wasn't nearly this bad when the teeth first showed up! I gave her some natural pain relief stuff (will give her Tylenol if it continues) and had to put her in her swing bawling her eyes out because she was beating me up!!! Is my baby the only one who is this forceful with hitting and kicking and scratching and pinching? I know others have mentioned their babies doing this stuff but it just seems like Sora is on a different level...?
IMO, yes, the teeth can continue to hurt after they are through the gums as they grow out. My theory is that the base of the tooth is wider so it continues to stretch the gums. With my older 2 kids, teething pain seemed to be the worst just before the tooth popped through, but would continue for several days and then would usually overlap with the emergence of the other tooth in the pair (or other teeth in the set of 4 when dealing with canines and molars) such that teething pain lasted for 6-8 weeks at it's worst with canines/molars. It's also been my experience that teething pain got worse with each new tooth, again such that the last teeth (molars) were the worst of the worst. Strangely though, after the two year molars, the 3 year molars seemed to appear with little issue. And dd was a horrible teether as well. She would whine, fuss, pinch. hit, kick, wake up all night long and her eczema would flare horribly. The worst was how she behaved with her peers- sometimes drawing blood from her scratching and pinching (though this wasn't entirely teething related behavior, it was definitely worse while teething). Some kids are just way easier teethers, it's true. IME, those that get their teeth earlier and close together have an easier time. Late, spread out teethers (like my dd) just seem to have a really rough time.
As for medication... I also break down and dose them when it's really bad, but not with Tylenol. I highly recommend Motrin. Number one, you avoid those possible liver damage issues and number two, it lasts 6-8 hours instead of 4-6... much better.
As for ear infections, every baby can display symptoms slightly differently, but almost always there will be a real fever- not just a low grade one that could be teething. Tugging at the ears is actually more common with teething than ear infections. If you're taking her in for a check up anyway regarding the possible c. diff. infection, then her ears could be checked as well. Do you have urgent care or convenient care in your area? In Maryland and Texas we had urgent cares that cost the same co-pay as a doctor's visit, but were open extended/weekend hours and were quite quick. Here we have "convenient care" with the HMO system that is similar. I ask b/c when I first had dd, I didn't know the difference between urgent care and the ER. Avoid the ER at all costs unless it's a true emergency. Not only is it a loooong wait, but the co-pays are usually quite high. Urgent care is the way to go!
I lifted up her gum and she had totally cut the tooth fully through right there in front of me, not acting in any pain, and I had no idea I'd be seeing blood when it happened... wowza. I'm just glad I was the one with her when it happened and not my blood-phobic DH.
Follow Mothering